Nick Loman
@pathogenomenick.bsky.social
Public health (meta)genomics & bioinformatics, Prof @unibirmingham.bsky.social, Director @imibirmingham.bsky.social & @climb.ac.uk
Reposted by Nick Loman
"It's not the same as Twitter", friend Twitter isn't the same as Twitter. Old Twitter died years ago, we need to accept that almost no-one under 30 is interested in joining text-based social media - the format will die with us, like floppy discs, Mars Delights, and the concept of hope for the future
January 14, 2026 at 9:56 PM
"It's not the same as Twitter", friend Twitter isn't the same as Twitter. Old Twitter died years ago, we need to accept that almost no-one under 30 is interested in joining text-based social media - the format will die with us, like floppy discs, Mars Delights, and the concept of hope for the future
Reposted by Nick Loman
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us
what happens when AI automates "normal science"?
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
Reposted by Nick Loman
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discoveries of #microplastics throughout human body, from brain to blood, arteries to testes
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:33 PM
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discoveries of #microplastics throughout human body, from brain to blood, arteries to testes
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Sigh. For the hundredth time, we are not judging his character, we are judging his actions. The RS position would be fine if it was a gentlemen's club, who can have who it damn well pleases. But it positions itself as represnting British science and scientists. Now an embarrassment, to be frank.
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president ft.trib.al/tC0vaAa
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president
Paul Nurse tells FT that national science academy should avoid ‘making judgments’ about ‘character’ of fellows
ft.trib.al
January 9, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Sigh. For the hundredth time, we are not judging his character, we are judging his actions. The RS position would be fine if it was a gentlemen's club, who can have who it damn well pleases. But it positions itself as represnting British science and scientists. Now an embarrassment, to be frank.
Reposted by Nick Loman
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
Reposted by Nick Loman
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
But it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’
www.theverge.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:55 PM
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by Nick Loman
It has been a long road, but our paper on Klebsiella plasmids is finally out in Lancet Microbe. Thanks to all co authors but especially Marjorie Gibbon and Natacha Couto www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Convergence and global molecular epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae plasmids harbouring the iuc3 virulence locus: a population genomic analysis
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen of humans and animals. In the past five years, increasing reports of convergent strains that carry both…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:13 PM
It has been a long road, but our paper on Klebsiella plasmids is finally out in Lancet Microbe. Thanks to all co authors but especially Marjorie Gibbon and Natacha Couto www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Now published in Nature Biotechnology:
go.nature.com/44P7nSm
If you missed it, the TL;DR is in my April thread below
go.nature.com/44P7nSm
If you missed it, the TL;DR is in my April thread below
January 6, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Now published in Nature Biotechnology:
go.nature.com/44P7nSm
If you missed it, the TL;DR is in my April thread below
go.nature.com/44P7nSm
If you missed it, the TL;DR is in my April thread below
TIL Bluesky is about a quarter as popular as the execrable Nextdoor attracting only 3.3% of the Uak population!
Because the social media landscape has fractured into lots of smaller sites. Bluesky doesn't have the number yet.
danslee.co.uk/2025/12/14/u...
danslee.co.uk/2025/12/14/u...
UPDATED: UK social media statistics for 2025 and other helpful numbers
I must have said the line ‘more change in the last 12-months than the last 12-years’ dozens of times in the last 12-months. It’s still true. There are rare chances to assess just how much change. O…
danslee.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 11:01 AM
TIL Bluesky is about a quarter as popular as the execrable Nextdoor attracting only 3.3% of the Uak population!
Reposted by Nick Loman
“[P]utting data into GISAID is like dropping it in a mail slot in an unmarked building,” says @colincarlson.bsky.social. “It’s wonderful that there’s so much cool stuff in that building. It would be great if we knew who owned it, or who paid for it, or what they plan to do with it.”
#IDsky 🧪
#IDsky 🧪
Fresh conflicts erupt around giant database for flu and COVID-19 sequences
Critics say “autocratic” behavior by GISAID could hamper response to a future pandemic
www.science.org
January 7, 2026 at 9:51 AM
“[P]utting data into GISAID is like dropping it in a mail slot in an unmarked building,” says @colincarlson.bsky.social. “It’s wonderful that there’s so much cool stuff in that building. It would be great if we knew who owned it, or who paid for it, or what they plan to do with it.”
#IDsky 🧪
#IDsky 🧪
Reposted by Nick Loman
Sequencing Instrumrnt Outlook 2026
My observations & predictions on sequencing instrument companies
🧬🖥️
omicsomics.blogspot.com/2026/01/sequ...
My observations & predictions on sequencing instrument companies
🧬🖥️
omicsomics.blogspot.com/2026/01/sequ...
Sequencing Instrument Outlook 2026
A computational biologist's personal views on new technologies & publications on genomics & proteomics and their impact on drug discovery
omicsomics.blogspot.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Sequencing Instrumrnt Outlook 2026
My observations & predictions on sequencing instrument companies
🧬🖥️
omicsomics.blogspot.com/2026/01/sequ...
My observations & predictions on sequencing instrument companies
🧬🖥️
omicsomics.blogspot.com/2026/01/sequ...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Proud to announce SimPhyNI, a new tool for bacterial GWAS with higher precision and scalability than existing tools. Try it out and let us know what you think!!
High Precision Binary Trait Association on Phylogenetic Trees https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.24.696407v1
January 5, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Proud to announce SimPhyNI, a new tool for bacterial GWAS with higher precision and scalability than existing tools. Try it out and let us know what you think!!
Reposted by Nick Loman
It’s official: RFK Jr has officially reduced recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, removing universal vaccine recommendations for RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.
This reckless contravention of science is going to kill people.
This reckless contravention of science is going to kill people.
January 5, 2026 at 7:36 PM
It’s official: RFK Jr has officially reduced recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, removing universal vaccine recommendations for RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.
This reckless contravention of science is going to kill people.
This reckless contravention of science is going to kill people.
Ok time to set up the ‘Happy New Year!’ tracker game. Once and once only per person or you’re out.
January 5, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Ok time to set up the ‘Happy New Year!’ tracker game. Once and once only per person or you’re out.
Reposted by Nick Loman
Researchers from the Quadram Institute have come together to develop a new open access book filled with cutting-edge methods and protocols to ensure best practice in microbiome research.
New book shares Quadram’s Best Practice in Microbiome Research - Quadram Institute
Researchers from the Quadram Institute have developed an open access book to help ensure best practice in microbiome research.
buff.ly
January 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Researchers from the Quadram Institute have come together to develop a new open access book filled with cutting-edge methods and protocols to ensure best practice in microbiome research.
Reposted by Nick Loman
A picture is worth 1000 words...
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
January 2, 2026 at 4:53 PM
A picture is worth 1000 words...
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
Reposted by Nick Loman
Use of Metagenomic Reference Materials to Compare Lysis and Extraction Methods Against a Known Input https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.31.697245v1
January 2, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Use of Metagenomic Reference Materials to Compare Lysis and Extraction Methods Against a Known Input https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.31.697245v1
Reposted by Nick Loman
Loved this brilliant biography of Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social But what struck me from the start: it's also a portrait of a lost time in science: no grant applications or teaching, big travel budgets: the job only to think, talk & get science done. Future scientific biogs will be so different.
December 31, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Loved this brilliant biography of Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social But what struck me from the start: it's also a portrait of a lost time in science: no grant applications or teaching, big travel budgets: the job only to think, talk & get science done. Future scientific biogs will be so different.
Reposted by Nick Loman
If this year was about getting off US tech, 2026 is the year to reassess the digital revolution — what works, what doesn’t; what to keep, and what to reject.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
We need to reassess our relationship to digital tech
Getting off US tech led me to a wider questioning of digital convenience
disconnect.blog
December 31, 2025 at 8:42 PM
If this year was about getting off US tech, 2026 is the year to reassess the digital revolution — what works, what doesn’t; what to keep, and what to reject.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
Reposted by Nick Loman
New year, new PhD? 🧑🎓
If you’re fed up of leftovers, and out of ideas for festive fun, here’s a quick reminder to apply to these posts! 🧫 🧬
#PhD #Microbiology #Genomics
If you’re fed up of leftovers, and out of ideas for festive fun, here’s a quick reminder to apply to these posts! 🧫 🧬
#PhD #Microbiology #Genomics
We are recruiting for a number of PhDs in the HPRU in Public Health Genomics, based at @unibirmingham.bsky.social, in collaboration with UKHSA. 🦠🧬
Apply below to work on cutting-edge science and public health priorities! (NB deadline of 9th January / UK only due to funding restrictions)
(1/7)
Apply below to work on cutting-edge science and public health priorities! (NB deadline of 9th January / UK only due to funding restrictions)
(1/7)
December 31, 2025 at 10:17 AM
New year, new PhD? 🧑🎓
If you’re fed up of leftovers, and out of ideas for festive fun, here’s a quick reminder to apply to these posts! 🧫 🧬
#PhD #Microbiology #Genomics
If you’re fed up of leftovers, and out of ideas for festive fun, here’s a quick reminder to apply to these posts! 🧫 🧬
#PhD #Microbiology #Genomics
Watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with daughter who rejects concept that Indy wants to put artefacts in a museum rather than selling them. Tried to explain he’d also get a really good glam journal paper too. And defeat the Nazis, but fell on deaf ears. #genz
December 29, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with daughter who rejects concept that Indy wants to put artefacts in a museum rather than selling them. Tried to explain he’d also get a really good glam journal paper too. And defeat the Nazis, but fell on deaf ears. #genz
Reposted by Nick Loman
Our preprint on predicting drug resistance in bacteria is now out in @plosbiology.org. We show ignoring phylogenetic structure in genome collections leads to overly optimistic evaluations of machine learning methods for AMR prediction. Work from @yanyingyu.bsky.social with @nwheeler443.bsky.social.
Biased sampling driven by bacterial population structure confounds machine learning prediction of antimicrobial resistance
Machine learning methods have emerged as promising tools to predict antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and uncover resistance determinants from genomic data. This study shows that sampling biases driven b...
journals.plos.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Our preprint on predicting drug resistance in bacteria is now out in @plosbiology.org. We show ignoring phylogenetic structure in genome collections leads to overly optimistic evaluations of machine learning methods for AMR prediction. Work from @yanyingyu.bsky.social with @nwheeler443.bsky.social.
Reposted by Nick Loman
Love this short opinion piece on “mechanical bypass” in analogy to “spiritual bypass”.
The “machinal bypass” and how we’re using AI to avoid ourselves | PNAS
The “machinal bypass” and how we’re using AI to avoid ourselves
www.pnas.org
December 21, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Love this short opinion piece on “mechanical bypass” in analogy to “spiritual bypass”.
Reposted by Nick Loman
this is the greatest feeling, when the cord box proves its utility to a family member
December 20, 2025 at 6:35 AM
this is the greatest feeling, when the cord box proves its utility to a family member
Reposted by Nick Loman
I am not sorry. This is simply true. Academics should be able to write fluently and express themselves clearly and academics should do their own work. It’s literally our job. It’s what we trained until 22nd grade to do. This is a simple observation that should require no explanation or defense.
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.
December 20, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I am not sorry. This is simply true. Academics should be able to write fluently and express themselves clearly and academics should do their own work. It’s literally our job. It’s what we trained until 22nd grade to do. This is a simple observation that should require no explanation or defense.